


Why Spend It Alone

by alafaye



Category: Torchwood
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-17
Updated: 2014-12-17
Packaged: 2018-03-01 20:56:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2787470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alafaye/pseuds/alafaye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sharing widsom.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Why Spend It Alone

**Author's Note:**

> Excuse any mistakes; I literally just wrote this. Written for the 2014 advent challenge; masterlist and prompts can be found [here](http://alafaye.livejournal.com/392757.html). This is day 16, holiday paraphernalia.

Jack remembers his first Christmas with Ianto. He probably will for a long time. When he got stranded on Earth, he knew that the holiday was some tradition that was celebrated around the birth of someone, but he wasn't too familiar with it. Over time, he understood it a bit more, saw as it changed, saw how people changed with it. Saw how cultures changed with it.

But he knew that it was a time for friends and family.

Jack...didn't have those. At least, not ones he could spend Christmas with. And even though he didn't celebrate it, he did feel the lack.

It wasn't a problem, really, but he knew it was for the people around him. He went to a few parties, spent a few of the holidays with friends. He knew how it worked.

Which is why he would remember the first Christmas with Ianto.

There were people like Jack who didn't have anyone for Christmas. That it could make them bitter. Or just in general, really; December was crazy. Ianto though...Jack had always imagined that Ianto, under that polite, butler exterior, was a sensitive man, one who was softened around the edges. Ianto, Jack thought, would spend Christmas with family and friends.

Not this one, though. No, this one, Jack intercepted the police call about a man dressed in a nice suit on a roof, looking none too happy.

Hey, if it wasn't Ianto, it would be a nice way to spend Christmas. It was quiet on roofs. Peaceful. But also usually blocked from casual entry and Jack had enjoyed many a grand evening on roofs with company.

"Cold night," Jack said.

Ianto jumped, a little. "Jack. I should've known you'd find me."

Jack smirked and walked up to sit next to Ianto on the ledge. "Please. Man in a suit in need of some happy times? I'm there."

Ianto huffed. "Everything's a joke with you."

"Mm, bitter tonight," Jack mused aloud. "You have to joke around; life's too serious otherwise."

Ianto hung his head. "I'm not going to jump. You can go home."

"Think I'm going to stick around, actually," Jack said. "Just to make sure. I can be quiet, you know. Or we can talk. Or we can have sex. I'm easy."

"Oh, I know," Ianto joked--finally. He looked at Jack out of the corner of his eye with a small smile.

Jack beamed at him. "There we go." He cleared his throat. "I thought you had family."

And just like that, the smile was gone. "So?"

"Well, most of the people out there are with their families," Jack pointed out. "It being Christmas and all."

Ianto took a deep breath and didn't answer. Jack sighed. "Quiet it is then."

They sat like that, in the afternoon air, watching the city. It was peaceful right now. In a way it rarely was. Most business were closed. People were inside, sharing food. It may be a religious holiday, but the way it was celebrated was as old as humans. Older, even. Sharing food, sharing stories. It was an old connection.

Ianto broke the quiet. "I just...I imagined going over there, to see my sister and brother-in-law. Their kids. But Torchwood, Jack. It shows you things. All the species out there that imagine us ants that they can play with. The weapons they have that we have no defense against. And I know we never would and UNIT wouldn't, but there are other groups out there. What happens if one of them decides to...Torchwood One almost destroyed the world. In their quest for knowledge and power and control. Someone could be trying right now to do something that would end the world.

"I couldn't go over to see my family knowing that. It's just...Torchwood changes you. Changes the way you see the world. I had a nightmare after L-lisa. My niece and nephew turned into Cybermen. It would've been my fault. And that's what scares me, Jack. That someone, somewhere, could be doing something that would hurt my family. And I'd be there, eating Christmas dinner, and all I'd think about was--"

"Stop," Jack told him. "You can't...if you let that fear rule your life, you'll never live. Don't let it go, Ianto. Don't let them go. Come on, let's go in. You go and see your family. Eat the turkey and open some crackers and enjoy all that holiday paraphernalia and give your niece and nephew a few pounds. Because that's why we're fighting at Torchwood. For the human connection."

Ianto looked at him. "What about you? Don't you have someone?"

Jack chuckled. "Me? Nah. I'll be manning the Hub. Keeping a watchful eye."

A long moment passed during which Ianto studied Jack. "What?" Jack asked him eventually. "I got something on my face?"

"I told my sister I had to be on call today," Ianto began. "That it would better if I stayed home. I said maybe to seeing her on Boxing Day."

Jack shrugged. "So tell her that your boss let you go early. Make up some excuse about it. Go."

Ianto took a deep breath and held out his hand. Jack raised his eyebrows. Ianto wiggled his fingers. "Come on. _We_ are going back to the Hub where we'll both be on call. Tomorrow, I'll stop in to see my family."

Jack frowned. "I can watch the Hub by myself, you know."

"You shouldn't have to," Ianto said. "It's Christmas. Time to spend with others. I'm sure we can keep ourselves busy."

"If you're sure. I don't want--"

"Jack, you may have eternity to spend Christmas with other people, but why spend any alone if you can have company?"

Sighing, Jack took Ianto's hand. "Well then. I think I know of a place that will make us a few pizzas to get through the night. And maybe later, I can give you a private tour of the greenhouse."

Ianto laughed, but still followed Jack down and out into the streets. 

They made the rest of the night pretty memorable, but it was that conversation on the roof that Jack would remember for a long time.


End file.
